Geelong coach Chris Scott insists his side will not be hiding any tactics when they face Brisbane in a top-of-the-table clash at the Gabba tomorrow.
Scott said despite potentially playing the Lions again in an arguably more important match-up this finals series the Cats will avoid withholding secret strategies against them this weekend.
“We think about it, but we don’t prioritise it in front of trying to finish as high up the ladder as we can,” Scott told the media this week.
“If you start getting a bit too tricky and forecasting what might happen into the future and then holding something up your sleeve in the short-term, that can really backfire.
“We’d hate to lose the game by small margin because we held something back that we thought would work.”
Both sides head into the match on equal wins, with the winner a strong chance to secure a top-two finish and a home final.
Scott said the game would be a “big test” for his side as they look to string together their first consecutive win since round 12.
“When they (Brisbane) get the momentum they’re clearly playing a style that is hard to stop,” he said.
“They’ve built a team that doesn’t have too many gaps in it.”
The Lions are the league’s highest scoring team this year, while the Cats have conceded the fewest points this season.
But Scott downplayed the match as simply being a battle between Brisbane’s attack and Geelong’s defence.
“I think the game’s more complicated than just our defence and their offence,” he said.
The Cats enter Saturday’s clash coming off the back of a 55-point victory against the Kangaroos at Kardinia Park last weekend.
Geelong held North Melbourne to 14 points for the match – their lowest score in the club’s history.
Midfielder Quinton Narkle starred in his first senior game for the year, finishing with two goals and 21 possessions while superstar Patrick Dangerfield also impressed with 31 disposals.
Meanwhile Brisbane nailed their eighth win-in-a-row with a 91-point thrashing against Gold Coast last Saturday.
The Lions have jumped from finishing 15th last year on the ladder to now having secured their first finals berth in a decade.
But Brisbane defender Alex Witherden said his team are focussing on taking things a week at a time.
“For us we’re just worried about taking care of business on the weekend,” he said.
“If you start thinking about the results that’s when you become fearful.”
